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Hello im new here I just started Aikido last week and it was great I loved it the people, the Sensi were great friendly my question whats the best way to cure very sore limbs (due to this being the first excerise in along time)is it a case of just keep streching and it gets better or do things like tiger balm really work

When I first started Aikido he told me "Welcome to a life of Pain". I suppose he was right.

A few years later, when discussing the discomfort of sitting in seiza for a long time we were told. "The pain won't go away, what you will end up doing is changing your relationship with the pain."

I've paraphrased a bit, but he was right. Sitting in Seiza is still painfull but it's a nice pain and I don't fight it anymore.

For the rest, eventually (in a few days or weeks or months) Aikido will become less painfull or even positively pleasant. You won't notice the change, but one day you'll suddenly stop and think, "Hey, didn't this used to hurt?".

Either stretch out good the night after class and the next morning or do some other exercise the next day to get the blood flowing. The aches and pains will pass soon enough though. Welcome, glad to hear you are enjoying it so far.

I think the pain also comes more with surprise. The first time my sensei did nikyo on me (I think my second or third class) I could barely see straight. I also think this surprise is helpful in a fight. Someone throws a punch at Little Joe Aikidoka, they expect it to be blocked and countered, in which they can counter. Few attackers expect being thrown off balance and slammed to the ground (or given a nikyo, ude-osae, or something equally unpleasent).

-Nick

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Nick Porter
"Do not fall into the trap of the artisan who boasts twenty years of experience, when in fact he has had only one year of experience-- twenty times."

I think the pain also comes more with surprise. The first time my sensei did nikyo on me (I think my second or third class) I could barely see straight. I also think this surprise is helpful in a fight. Someone throws a punch at Little Joe Aikidoka, they expect it to be blocked and countered, in which they can counter. Few attackers expect being thrown off balance and slammed to the ground (or given a nikyo, ude-osae, or something equally unpleasent).

"Aikido is non-resistance. As it does not resist, it is always victorious."

-Nick

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Nick Porter
"Do not fall into the trap of the artisan who boasts twenty years of experience, when in fact he has had only one year of experience-- twenty times."

I agree with the others that stretching helps in minimizing the pain during practice, just one piece of advice: don't overdo your stretches, I've seen people who tried to push their bodies to the limit and they end up pulling a muscle, twisting/over-rotating something, etc.